User engineers are primarily concerned with writing custom applications and not necessarily with the internal details that are required to access (to read or write) data in a process control system. User engineers need to be able to easily and efficiently create, use and maintain custom control applications that enhance the control experience and that look and behave like the standard control applications supplied with a control system. Users desire to be able to create specialized or custom applications that embody their proprietary control knowledge and experience and look and feel as an integral part of the entire control system. Control system vendors do not always possess a detailed knowledge of the user process and, therefore, are unable to create and sell specialized or custom applications to augment the standard control application offering.
Thus, there is need for a method and apparatus that permits a user to develop, use and maintain custom applications to a standard control system.